Dear Subscribers,
As you know, LINGUIST is a rich source of information about jobs
in linguistics and related fields. We are aware that many of you
depend on us to provide a current list of available positions. We
have, however, received a number of complaints about ads that (1)
are misleading or (2) have wording that is discriminatory by US
standards.
This has put us in something of a quandary. We are an
international organization, and we realize that standards differ
in different countries. Moreover, we don't want to conceal any job
opportunities from the linguistics community. Many job-seekers
might want to apply for the positions in question even if they
thoroughly understood the job conditions. For these reasons and
others (e.g., our lack of firsthand knowledge, both of job conditions
and relevant laws), we want to continue our open jobs-posting
policy.
However, we are unequivocally in favor of providing as much
information as possible to job-seekers, so that they can make
informed decisions. So we have come up with an idea that we
hope will partially address these difficulties. It will also,
we believe, provide a useful ancillary service quite apart from
any problems it solves.
We are starting a Jobs Information Network page, where people
with knowledge of employment conditions in different countries will
be listed, along with their email addresses. Our job
announcements will include a link to this page, and job-seekers will
be encouraged to contact these linguists for information. These
well-travelled linguists might offer information about general working
conditions, mores, applicaton procedures, and so forth, in the
countries they know--furnishing the kind of advice that many
international job-seekers would appreciate, whether or not they
have any fears about job discrimination.
We need volunteers to act as consultants. If you would be willing to
provide this valuable service to your fellow linguists, please let me
know at
hdrylinguistlist.org
and let me know which country or countries you can represent.
Needless to say, we are seeking individuals willing to discuss the
US job market with job-seekers from abroad, as well as those able
to explain non-US job procedures to Americans.
And, as always, we appreciate your suggestions as well as your
help.
Helen, Anthony, Andrew
Moderators, LINGUIST